Taika Waititi’s satirical the MCU franchise, New Zealand director Taika Waititi decided to move in a completely different direction, returning more to the smaller dramedies he made his name on, and Taika Waititi chose to adapt the little-known novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, which follows a young member of the Hitler Youth in Vienna during the reign of Adolf Hitler.

Jojo Rabbit is not a conventional wartime drama, as the protagonist, Johannes 'Jojo' Betzler, receives worldly wisdom from his imaginary best friend Adolf Hitler. Jojo is gung-ho about the Nazi regime, as only a brainwashed child can be, but his blind fanaticism is challenged when he discovers that his mother is protecting a young Jewish girl called Elsa by hiding her in their attic. As Jojo Rabbit nears its narrative end, the film reminds audiences of just how harrowing and horrific the Holocaust and World War II truly was, making it one of Taika Waititi's best films in his career.

How Jojo Rabbit Works As An Anti-Hate Satire

Jojo Rabbit's Goofiness Highlights The Issues With Propaganda

Jojo Rabbit’s most effective weapon is its humor, and how it uses that to expose the flimsiness of propaganda. Jojo imagines a version of Hitler that is somewhat accurate to the overblown deified image of him, but twisted to fit the mind of a pre-teen boy. His imaginary BFF take on Adolf is much goofier but near mystical in his abilities, which wasn’t far off how propaganda portrayed him. He’s also played by a Jewish Maori actor, which only further emphasizes the joke.

It’s only when Jojo finds Elsa in his attic, and she ruthlessly takes down every piece of anti-Semitic nonsense he’s been fed by the party that reality sets in.

Jojo doesn’t see that there’s no real glory in war, or that the adults left in charge are either anti-Nazi rebels like his mother or incompetent like others. It’s only when Jojo finds Elsa in his attic, and she ruthlessly takes down every piece of anti-Semitic nonsense he’s been fed by the party that reality sets in. During the film’s most heartbreaking moment, Jojo discovers that his mother has been hung after being revealed to be a political dissident. Everything Jojo believed in stops being fun and games when the magnitude of the Nazi regime’s cruelty impacts him directly.

How Does Jojo Rabbit End?

Jojo Realizes The Truth About The Jewish People

The Gestapo, led by Captain Deertz, arrives at Jojo's home and tears it apart, looking for evidence of wrongdoing. Elsa reveals herself, pretending to be Jojo's late sister. She hands her papers over to Captain Klenzendorf, who confirms her date of birth. After they leave, she reveals that she got the date wrong, meaning that Klezendorf chose to let them go. For Jojo, it's a moment of realization: he's been taught his whole life that Jews are monstrous in appearance and attitude, making them easy to spot in a crowd, but nobody knew Elsa was Jewish when they saw her.

In the city, the Americans have arrived and the remaining dregs of Nazi soldiers have suited up children to help them fight a pointless battle. Jojo is put in a Nazi coat and told to start shooting, but he chooses to run and avoid death. It doesn't take long for the Allied troops to win and Jojo, along with other uniformed Nazis, is rounded up to be executed. Klezendorf takes off Jojo's coat and yells performatively at him, calling him a Jew until the American soldiers remove him and have Klezendorf dragged off to be shot.

Jojo heads home and, worried that Elsa will leave him now that the war is gone, says that the Nazis won. Writing a letter to her in the persona of her boyfriend, he says he has a way to smuggle her out of the house. For one last time, Jojo's imaginary Hitler appears. He's far less humorous now and fully shows himself as a monster. Jojo realizes he has no need for him and rejects him with a kick out of the window.

Jojo takes Elsa outside, where it's revealed that the Allies did indeed win. She slaps Jojo for tricking her and then, free and alone together with no idea what the future holds, they dance.

What Jojo & Elsa's Dance To German Heroes Means

David Bowie Brings Jojo Rabbit To A Close

Jojo and Elsa dance to "Heroes" by David Bowie, one of the musician's most iconic songs, and the version they dance to is in German. The use of anachronistic pop music ends the film with a level of out-of-time modernity that fits its aesthetic and Waititi's humor, but the dancing itself is the climax to a hard-won battle for Jojo and Elsa. Jojo's mother frequently preached the joys of dancing and living life joyously, even when everything seems irredeemably dark.

Jojo Rabbit's opening credits is another German version of a popular song, The Beatles's "I Wanna Hold Your Hand".

This is something Jojo, while still deeply entrenched in blind loyalty to the Nazis, never saw as a necessary part of his childhood. After the war has ended, neither Jojo nor Elsa have much left in the world following the deaths of their respective families. In an uncertain future, all they can do is dance.

The Real Meaning Of Jojo Rabbit's Ending

It's Easy To Become Entrenched In Propaganda

Jojo Rabbit is first and foremost an emotionally resonant look at a young boy breaking free of his preconceived ideals after truly understanding the harrowing situation he finds himself in. It's a look at how easily propaganda and fascism can take hold in an impressionable mind. With Taika Waititi's use of humor and performance as Adolf Hitler, it can be easy to see why Jojo might think so highly of his country's leader, though it comes from a place of ignorance, as he doesn't necessarily understand.

Through his mom's death at the hands of the Nazi party, and his realization that Jewish people are the same as he is, Jojo finally begins to understand. Unfortunately for Jojo, it happens when he has essentially lost everything, even his idealized version of his friend, Adolf Hitler, but it is a necessary change in character that makes the ending hit so strong. When Jojo and Elsa dance as the film comes to an end, every decision Taika Waititi made throughout the film comes full circle.

How The Jojo Rabbit Ending Was Received

The Film's Humor Makes The Ending Even More Impactful

While a lot of Jojo Rabbit is inherently silly, there is a darkness under the surface that is unavoidable when exploring the Holocaust and the indoctrination of youth into the Nazi party. In using humor to lull audiences into a false sense of security, Jojo Rabbit's ending hits like a freight train, both as being incredibly tragic, and then hopefully optimistic. Jojo Rabbit was a well-received movie overall, with the ending being often regarded as some of the best moments in the entire film.

In using humor to lull audiences into a false sense of security, Jojo Rabbit's ending hits like a freight train.

While Taika Waititi never misses the chance to utilize his eccentric brand of humor, Jojo Rabbit shows the direct impact of child indoctrination and how one kid finds a way out of the darkness he didn’t even know he was being consumed by. Else puts it best to Jojo, "You're not a Nazi, Jojo. You're a 10-year-old kid who likes dres in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club."